Chaeles ueich



(No Model.)

G. URIOH.

BLIND SLAT ROD. No. 369,484 Patented'Sept. 6, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

CHARLES URICH, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO XVILLIAM H. YEOMANS, OF SAME PLACE.

BLlND-SLAT ROD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,484, dated September 6, 1887.

Application filed January 22, 1867. Serial No. 225,229. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Union, of Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blind-Slat Rods, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rods for operating the slats of window-blinds; and the objects I have in view are, first, to

provide a rod'that shall be simple in construction and manner of attachment to the slats; second, to provide a rod that shall be durable and economical in its manufacture; third, to provide a rod that shall lie as fiat as possible 1 against the edges of the slats and not project as far beyond the slats as do the rods now in use. These objects I attain by the use of the devices herein described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of several blind-slats with my improved rod attached, having a portion of the outside strip broken away to show the rod when made of but a single strip, as hereinafter explained. Fig. 2 is a front ele- 2 vation of the device shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 3

and 4. are end views of my improved slat-rod, with the connecting wire or staple 0, showing the outside strip cylindrical and flat, respectively. Fig. 5 is a side view of a modification of my improved slat rod made of a single piece, showing also the staples 0. Fig. 6 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side view of another modification of my improved slat-rod. Fig. 8 is a plan of the device shown in Fig. 7.

J is the style in which are secured the blindslats D. A. is the operating-rod secured to the slats by the wires or staples C. A and E are the two parts of which the operating-rod may be composed, as hereinafter described.

My improved rod is made of a strip of metal or other suitable material, in which are made indentations at suitable intervals, as shown at B in Figs. 1 and 2. The rod is secured to the .1, 5 slats by means of the wires orstaples C,which fit into the indentations B, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The depressions B should be of sufficient depth and the staples Oshould be driven into the slats sufficiently far to admit of the easy working of the device and at the same time retain the staples within the indentations B and prevent the rod from slipping or sliding under the staples. To guard against the possibility of the slipping of the rod, however, a strip of metal, E, or other suitable material may be soldered or otherwise secured to the face of the rod after thelatter has been attached to the slats by the staples G, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4c. This will render it impossible for the rod to slip. Instead of the strip E being separate from the strip A, the latter may be of sufficient length to permit of its being doubled back upon itself, when the two parts can be soldered or otherwise secured together. This will render it impossible for the wires or staples G to get outof the depressions B.

It will be observed that in the use of my improved rod only one staple or wire is necessary to secure the rod to the slats, requiring but one operation to effect the union, whereas with the rods commonly in use two interlocking staples are employed.

It-is obvious that many modifications of my invention may be made, some of which are shown in the drawings; but I do not claim all these now, as they will form the subjects of future applications.

A prominent feature of my improved rod is that it can be used to great advantage in connection with sliding window-blinds. The slatrods now commonly in use project so far beyond the edges of the slats that it is impossible to have each of the sliding blinds provided with movable slats without occupying a great 8 deal of space for the frames of the blinds, in order that the blinds may slide past one another. Oonsequentl y it is customary, in sliding blinds, to make the slats of only the innermost blind movable,while the slats of the other 9 blinds are fixed and immovable; but by the use of my improved rod the slats of all the blinds can be made movable, and yet the space occupied by the blinds will be no more than it would be were the slats fixed and immovable, 5 for while my improved rod is strong and durable it is of comparatively little thickness, and lies close to the edges of the slats.

I am aware that prior to myinvention rods to operate the slats of a blind had been made having in view the economizing of space; but

such rods differ from my improved rod in construction and manner of attachment to the slats. For example, the rod shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 386,944 is provided with eyelets, and necessarily has a breadth very much greater than the thickness of my rod. \Vere the rod described in said Letters Patent attached to the slats in the same manner that my improved rod is to be attached, it would project so far beyond the edges of the slats that little would be gained in economizing space; hence it is necessary to cut a groove in the edge of each slat, into which the rod fits. On the other hand, owing to the thinness of my improved rod, it is not necessary to cut away any portion of the slats. Also, the manner of attaching my rod to the slats is very simple. The under piece, A, is placed against the edges of the slats in its proper position, and is very readily secured to the slatsby driving the staples over the indentations B. The outside piece, E, is then fastened to the face of Ain any convenient manner to prevent any possible slipping of the rod, as above described. If desired, the upper strip, E, may be as thin as or thinner than the lower strip, A, thus adding practically nothing to the thickness of the rod.

My improved rod may be made of only the 30 one strip A, omitting the upper strip, E, as shown in the broken-away portions of Figs. 1 and 2; but I do not now claim this latter form, as above stated, as it will form the subject of a future application. 35

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The herein-described blind-slat rod, consisting of the two pieces Aand E, thepiece E being placed upon the upper surface of the piece 40 A, as shown, and the under piece, A, being provided with the indentations B, which engage the wires or staples O, by means of which the rod is attached to the slats, the two pieces A and E being secured together substantially 5 in the manner described, and for the purposes set forth.

CHAS. Union.

In presence of- J OHN MACDONALD, FRANK VAN OLEvE. 

